Gene action and combining ability of yield and yield related characters in genetically diverse lines in yard long bean [Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc.]

Ten parents were mated in partial diallel fashion to develop twenty five crosses and were evaluated along with parents in Randomised block design. All the characters studied had non-additive and additive gene action as indicated by the significant differences of analysis of variances due to specific combining ability and general combining ability. The parents VS41, VS43 and VS47 were having significant general combining ability. The crosses VS-44 x VS-47, VS-9 x VS-43 and VS-43 x VS-47 exhibited the high SCA effect for pod yield per plant. Positive sca effects combined with negative gca effects of the respective parents were noticed for days to 50 per cent flowering in many hybrids suggesting the preponderance of dominance gene action.